FLESHWROUGHT is a technical death metal band consisting of just two members: Navene Kopperweis (ANIMOSITY, ANIMALS AS LEADERS) and Jonny Davy (JOB FOR A COWBOY).
On their Metal Blade Records debut full-length release, Dementia/Dyslexia, the duo mixes obvious death metal influences, but also delve into electronic, progressive and experimental styles of music. It was recorded at Kopperweis's studio and he played all of the instruments, did all the tracking, mixing and editing, while Davy handled the lyrics and vocals.
It's obvious that Kopperweis is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist; his playing is tight and effective. His progressive guitar leads abound, mixed with some keyboard sampling nuances and backed by some solid drumming; complete with lots of double bass, blast beats and creative fills. Davy's trademark rumbling growl mixed with his high and mid-range screams compliments the music and seems to be about the same as what he does in JFAC, it's just a slightly different death metal platform in FLESHWROUGHT.
There's a constant theme that runs through the entire album; the beginning of dementia: anxiety, depression, desolation, frustration, then ultimately ending in self-destruction. The music gives you the feeling of someone mentally and emotionally unbalanced. The drum syncopation and guitar patterns are complex and technical. There's plenty of melodic riffs that creep in while still maintaining a hypnotic and furious pace. Dementia/Dyslexia doesn't let up. It's full-on blasting death metal.
On the downside, although the production is loud and up front, its overuse of ProTools drags the authenticity down. The drums sound programmed with a lot of studio trickery, and there's not enough variation in the guitar solos. It's the same finger-tapping style like every MESHUGGAH solo. But there's a lot of brutal instrumentation taking place on Dementia/Dyslexia that keeps it interesting.
Standout songs for me are: "Weeping Hallucinations," "Relevant Intoxication," "Conceptual Flesh," "Self Destructive Loathing" and "Inner Thoughts," complete with a saxophone solo.
